ACT 1: Introduction
(The Ordinary World, The Call to Adventure)
RYU’S JOURNEY
Main Story Mode of Street Fighter IV
by David Siriln and Thomas Grové
Ryu in Exile
Years after the events of SF3, Ryu sits near a campfire in the mountain wilderness,
afraid to be near people and unable to totally control his inner power. Sakura - no longer
a school girl - seeks him out for advice because she has reached a plateau in her fighting
skills. She also wonders what her favorite fighter has been doing alone for years.
Ryu has a flashback to happier times when Mas-
ter Gouken trained him, Ken, and Dan
Hibiki. The player learns some basic
moves from Gouken, spars with
Ken, then defeats Dan to learn
the Taunt ability. End flash-
back.
Gameplay
• Training with Gouken
• Fight Ken
• Fight Dan
• Learn the Taunt ability
Ryu Tells his Story
At the campfire, Ryu explains to Sakura that she must always continue to improve and
that she must use every technique available to her. In order to illustrate the points, he
tells her to sit down while he tells the story of his personal journey that made him the
warrior he is today. It all started back at Gouken’s dojo when Sakura arrived with Ryu’s
invitation to the Street Fighter 2 tournament.
In a flashback, young Ryu says he doesn’t need to enter the SF2 tournament because he
already won the SF1 tournament. The scene then fades to a stormy field where the play-
er actually plays the final round of the SF1 tournament against Sagat, winning with the
mighty shoryuken that gave Sagat his scar. The scene fades back to young Ryu who says
he has nothing to prove and has no
reason to leave his Master or his
current training environment. Gameplay
• Fight Sagat in SF1 Finals
• Final shoryuken occurs in a playable cut-scene
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ACT 2: Something Bad Happens Akuma’s Appearance
Gouki explains that since he killed Goutetsu and Gouken, he’s taken on a new name:
(The Reluctant Hero, The Wise Old Man)
Akuma. He fights Ryu, Ken, and Sakura all at once, explaining several plot points along
the way. He says Ryu is weak because his Master would not teach him the entirety of
Gouken vs. Gouki (Akuma) Shotokan, but that clearly Ryu is discovering the missing pieces within himself. He also
At the campfire, older Ryu says that Sakura knows all too well when those happy times mentions that Bison is weak because he only uses the negative energies (psycho power),
ended. In flashback, we see the battle between Gouken and his brother Gouki. Gouken and that a fighter must use both sides of the coin to win.
says that their common master Goutetsu didn’t want the “Dark Hadou” aspect of Shoto-
kan passed on, and that Gouki must be stopped from using it. Gouki says that he uses all Sakura rushes into the fight and Akuma immediately
techniques to his advantage. Because Gouki killed Master Goutestu in a fair fight, that slaps her down. Akuma says Sakura is eager,
proves Gouki’s way is right, he says. Gouken challenges Gouki to a death match, and but has no real fighting ability. He says
Gouki wins, finishing Gouken with the “Raging Demon” attack. Ken is weak because he holds
back, as if he has too much
to lose by fighting (referring
Death of Gouken to his girlfriend Eliza). The
Ryu finds Gouken’s body and sees Gouki’s huge “heaven” symbol on the wall written in sequence ends with Akuma
blood. Ryu goes into shock, unable to speak for days. During this time, he fights against knocking out all fighters, and
Evil Ryu in his head. This represents his internal struggle with the Dark Hadou. Ken telling Ryu to improve enough
arrives, hearing of their Master’s death, and tries to that Akuma can eventually
comfort Ryu, unsuccessfully. Suddenly, Ryu senses have a worthy rival, since he
that they are being watched, and they all run outside Gameplay
• Fight Evil Ryu in Ryu’s mind killed all his previous rivals. At
to find Gouki. this point, Akuma might teach
Ryu the Denjin Super Fireball
(from SF3), which partly uses Dark
Hadou powers.

Gameplay
• Fight Akuma with help from Ken and Sakura
• Akuma demonstrates “yomi” (knowing the mind of the opponent)
• Learn Super Move: Denjin Fireball

Gouken’s Ghost
Ryu goes to the place where Master Gouken died, finding Gouken’s ghost. Gouken tells
Ryu to forget the past and concentrate on improving himself for the future. He says Ryu
must travel the world and fight the best fighters in order to improve, starting with a
nearby Ninja School for girls. If Ryu wins, he
can move on to another school. If he loses, then
Gameplay
the school has something to teach him. Ryu
• Roaming area at Gouken’s Dojo
swears to Gouken that he’ll avenge his death,
• Talk to Gouken’s Ghost
but Gouken fades away when that’s mentioned.
• Talk to Ken and Sakura (optional)
• Destroy background objects

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ACT 3: Commitment
(Into the Special Fantasy World)

The Two Gifts of the Ninja School

Ryu arrives at the base of a hill with a windy road leading to the (all-girl) Ninja School. A
wooden sign says “All Challengers Welcome.” Ryu fights many ninja students and over-
comes a few platforming challenges on his approach to the school’s courtyard. Akuma
makes a brief appearance, explaining to Ryu that if you throw your opponent a lot, it will
make him mad and make mistakes. Akuma does exactly that in a fight, then teleports
away.

Ryu reaches the school’s courtyard, where

Gameplay he is greeted by the headmaster. Ryu asks
• Roaming area: windy path to Ninja School to challenge the school’s top student, but
• Fight student sentry the headmaster has him fight the newest
• Avoid ninja traps (some platforming) student instead. This new student - the
• Akuma demonstrates throws on you only male student at the school - is a Chi-
• Fight group of several ninja students nese bodyguard charged with protecting
a little girl whose upper-class parents he
failed to protect. He brought the little girl
(named Ibuki) to this school so that one day she will be able to protect herself. Ryu de-
feats the bodyguard, then fights the school’s top student, a young female ninja. (The Chi-
nese bodyguard and the female ninja are two of the new playable characters in SF4.)

The top student uses the Flashback mechanic against Ryu (rewinding time to get out of
trouble). Ryu defeats her, but rather than immediately leave, he asks the headmaster if
there is anything he can do to improve. The headmaster offers two gifts. First he teaches
Ryu how to use the Flashback ability. Second, he says he has the “gift of all things, and
overcoming all obstacles.” He says Ryu is not ready, but will need this gift in order to win
the SF2 tournament. He says Ryu must come back to the school after he has challenged
several other schools
and learned better grap-
pling (from Honda’s Gameplay
sumo school) and a • Fight the newest student (Chinese bodyguard, Ibuki’s protector)
better understanding of • Fight the school’s top student (she is playable in versus mode)
inner ki (from Dhalsim). • Learn new ability: Flashback
• Practice Flashback against top student

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ACT 4: Go for the Wrong Goal USA: Adventures with Ken, Guile, and Chun Li
Ryu gets on a plane to go train with Ken in America and remembers (in flashback) the
(Tests, Allies, and Enemies; The Inner Cave, last time he visited Ken. Years ago, Ken reached a block in his training and invited Ryu
Second Threshold, The Supreme Ordeal) to visit. Ken took them to a bar in San Francisco, and got into a fight when Ken tried to
pick up a girl who was with some Air Force cadets.
After defeating the cadets, Guile showed up and beat
Tokyo: Dan’s School, Honda’s School both Ken and Ryu badly. This was the first time Gameplay
Ryu travels to Tokyo where he challenges Dan either of them had really lost a match, and it spurred • Fight Air Force cadets
Hibiki’s school (in a joke segment involving Gameplay them to travel the world in search of other true street • Fight Guile (in cut-scene, lose)
Dan’s friend Blanka), and then Honda’s sumo • Roaming area: Tokyo street near fighters.
school. After defeating Honda’s students and Dan’s Dojo and Honda’s Dojo
Honda himself, Honda reveals that he has one • Fight Dan’s students Coming out of flash-
more visiting student: his friend Zangief. • Fight Blanka (Dan’s friend) back, Ryu gets off the
• Fight Dan himself plane and goes to Ken’s
• Fight Honda’s students mansion, where he meets
• Fight Honda himself Guile (now friends with
• Fight Honda’s Zangief (Honda’s friend) Ken) and Chun Li. After a
rematch with Guile (this
time Ryu wins!), and a
fun match with Chun
Li, they get down to
business. Guile and
Chun Li explain what
a dangerous man
Bison is, and how he
killed Guile’s friend
Charlie and Chun Li’s
father. They will go to
the tournament hoping
to defeat Bison for good.

Just then, Bison’s henchmen - Vega and

Killer Bee - burst into the mansion, trying Gameplay
India: Dhalsim’s Wisdom to take out Guile and Chun Li. Ryu defeats • Fight Guile (this time win)
Ryu travels to India, in search of the spiritual master Dhalsim. Akuma appears briefly both of them. The henchmen limp away, • Fight Chun Li
along the way, saying that if you are winning a tournament fight, then running away saying they will not forget such a loss. • Fight Vega and Killer Bee simultaneously
until time counts down is a viable strategy. He does this to you (it’s very annoying), then
teleports away. Later, Dhalsim teaches Ryu how to concentrate his inner energies, and Ryu says that Dhalsim told him he should
Ryu learns two super moves: Super Fireball and Super Helicopter Kick. fight enemies (rather than friends) to keep improving. Vega and Killer Bee were strong,
so Ryu asks where else he can find such enemies. Guile explains that the only other top
Dhalsim says Ryu has focused too much fighters in Bison’s Shadowloo are Sagat and Balrog… in Las Vegas.
Gameplay on learning from friends rather than
• Roaming area at Dhalsim’s village enemies. He suggests that Ryu practice
• Akuma demonstrates running away in a the new super techniques with a friend
tournament match against you (Ken), but then challenge enemies who
• Complete Dhalsim’s 3 mini-game challenges will never pull their punches.
• Defeat Dhalsim

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Las Vegas: Henchmen’s Lair ACT 5: Reversal
Ryu visits Las Vegas, in search of champion boxer Balrog (Bison’s minion). Along the
(Seizing the Sword, Reward)
way, Sagat warns him to be careful of another ambush by Vega and Killer Bee. Sagat
says he doesn’t want anything to happen to Ryu, because he wants a fair rematch against
The SF2 tournament is near and Ryu still wonders if he has the power to defeat Bison.
Ryu in the SF2 tournament.
Bison is much weaker than Akuma, and if Ryu can’t even beat Bison, he has little chance
of avenging Master Gouken’s death. Ryu travels back the Ninja School, hoping he is
Ryu fights several layers of Balrog’s security before reaching Balrog himself. The fight
ready for the “gift of all things, and overcoming all obstacles.”
against Balrog is staged as a boss fight, but right afterward Vega and Killer Bee launch
their second ambush. This time, they bring the Twelve Dolls: twelve beautiful women
that Bison kidnapped from twelve countries, trained to be his bodyguards. Ryu must de- Return to the Ninja School
feat them all in a difficult and long endurance fight. When he arrives at the base of the hill, the sign that says “All Challenges Welcome” is
broken and swinging in the wind. Dead and wounded ninjas lie everywhere. There are no
fights in this sequence, but the player must walk past all the destruction, realizing what
has happened. In the courtyard, the headmaster is
dead, slumped over his chair. The huge
Gameplay “heaven” symbol is written in blood on
• Fight Sagat briefly, but he doesn’t fight back (warns you instead) the wall and Akuma stands ready.
• Roaming area: Venitian hotel in Las Vegas Akmua explains that the headmas-
• Fight security guards ter challenged him to a death
• Fight Balrog match, hoping he could re-
• Fight Vega and Killer Bee (again) simultaneously claim the “gift.” Akuma fights
• Fight the 12 Dolls 1 and 2 at a time Ryu and knocks Ryu uncon-
• Fight the 12 Dolls simultaneously scious. In Ryu’s mind, he revis-
its the fight between Ryu and
Evil Ryu. This time, the fight
ends with the two fusing
together. When he wakes
up, Ryu now has the ability
to transform into Evil Ryu at
any time. Akuma is pleased,
and shows Ryu that while
he’s in Evil Ryu form, he can
perform two new supers: Shin
Shoryuken and the Raging
Demon. Akuma says now that
Ryu has embraced all things,
he is now able to overcome all
obstacles. The SF2 tournament
will be a good test, he says.

Gameplay
• Roaming area: Ninja School (no fights, just see the destruction)
• Fight Akuma
• Fight Evil Ryu in Ryu’s mind
• Learn new technique: Transform to Evil Ryu
• Learn new Super Moves: Shin Shoryuken and Raging Demon

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ACT 6: Go for the New Goal ACT 7: Resolution
(The Road Back) (Ressurection, Return, Ending)

The SF2 Tournament Ryu’s Story Ends

Ryu arrives in Thailand and the SF2 tournament begins. By this point, all the opponents At the campfire, older Ryu explains to Sakura that Akuma’s words carried a lot of weight
are familiar to Ryu, as they are all his friends, rivals, and acquaintances. Sagat and Ryu with him. He briefly remembers the final moments of the SF3 tournament where he
both advance, undefeated, to the tournament finals. Sagat finally gets his rematch, but viciously killed Gill, unleashing the full force of the Dark Hadou. Again at the campfire,
he loses again. Ryu says that he told this story to Sakura for two reasons: 1) hearing about his journey
might help her regain her path to continuous improvement, and 2) he might not ever get
Just as the fight ends, Dan Hibiki immediately fights to tell the story again.
Gameplay Sagat trying to avenge his father’s death. Sagat
Fight through the SF2 tournament easily wins, and tells Dan that devoting your life to
• Ken
The Final Challenge: Akuma
revenge matches is a hollow pursuit. Sagat looks Ryu packs up, preparing to finally challenge Akuma. Sakura protests, saying revenge is
• Guile straight at Ryu and says “And that is why I will now not a good reason to throw your life away. Ryu says that that’s a lesson he learned all too
• Honda turn to other pursuits. I wish you well, honorable well from Sagat and that it’s no longer about revenge; it’s about improving yourself until
• Blanka warrior.” Sagat leaves. you can defeat the greatest challenges in life. Ryu feels that now is the time. He sets out
• Zangief
for Akuma and Sakura follows.
• Chun Li
• Dhalsim
• Balrog
• Vega
• Rematch with Sagat

Boss Battle: Bison

Bison congratulates Ryu and
explains that he’s had his eye
on Ryu for a very long time.
Bison knows that Ryu won
SF1, defeated all of Bison’s
henchmen, and now won SF2
as well. Bison says he needs
the best fighters on his side,
and now that all his hench-
men lost to Ryu, he needs
Ryu as well. Ryu recoils from Bison’s offers, but Bison says it’s not an offer Ryu can walk
away from. Ryu fights Bison (and his psycho powers!) in a dramatic boss fight.

Ryu wins and has the opportunity to kill Bison, but

Gameplay he doesn’t. As Ryu turns his back to leave, Akuma
• Boss Battle: Bison teleports in and performs the Raging Demon on Bi-
son, killing him. Akuma says that Ryu is still weak
and merciful, and the only way to play is to play to
win, not letting your opponent come back. Never let up, never stop, always fight your
hardest until the very end. Akuma says that until Ryu learns this, he will never be on
the same level as Akuma.

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 Gameplay
Ryu arrives at Akuma’s cave, which is sur- • Roaming area: the final road to Akuma
rounded by a huge graveyard of past challeng- • Final Boss Battle: Akuma
ers. Ryu says to Akuma “I am ready.” In this
special fight, Ryu and Akuma’s lifebars are
shared, as if in a tug-of-war. Sakrua’s fate is also tied up in this fight, adding to its im-
portance. During parts of the fight, the player has infinite super meter, and Akuma uses
several tricks with time such as slow motion, speed up, and rewind.

When Ryu finally wins, he has the opportunity to kill Akuma, and remembers using the
Dark Hadou at the end of SF1, SF2, and SF3. Akuma asks if Ryu is strong enough to fin-
ish the task, but Ryu lets Akuma go. Ryu says, “You once told me that I had to embrace
both sides of the coin - positive and negative - using every technique to my advantage.
You were right. But there is another coin: the Life that I just spared versus the Death
you represent.”

Akuma says that the cycle is inevitable; if Life wins today then Death’s day is tomorrow.

Ryu picks up his duffle bag, turns his back, and walks away. Sakura follows.

End

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